Thursday, 29 October 2009

This post is a bit different. I was intending to do a big post with a load of stuff that has been sent to me but I still have a couple of things to listen to.The last week or so I've been going through my collection trying to uncover items that I had forgotten about buying and then just re-organising everything. Anyway, during that search I came across a copy of 'Come, come to the sunset tree' - the demo vinyl of The Mountain Goats 'Sunset Tree' album - and found this tucked within the plastic sleeve. I've never seen another edition of this art series so this is also an attempt to dig a couple more out of the ether.Hopefully this will be of interest to someone on the net. (A few of the normal label updates below)

John Darnielle - Is This Bunny Rabbit the Champion of the World

Here's a bit of background to the series:

OK, so here's the deal. A coupla years ago I'm writing these songs that would eventually become We Shall All Be Healed, and I'm trying to fit myself inside of my younger skin, and toward this end I start messing around with magazines and scissors and construction paper, making little handmade Tijuana bibles only with less porn and more dread. Each little booklet I made was titled after the working title of the album, which was Chavo Guerrero Is Champion Of The World. When the album was finished, I stuffed all the little booklets into a box and hid it in a closet.

A couple of years and one move eastward later, Brooklyn Fire Proof writes to me and says they're doing a show of musicians' art, and do I have anything that might fit in with the idea? I fetched my little booklets from the closet and looked them over, and now they're slated to be part of this exhibition, which will run from November 18th to December 18th. They're a little pricey, both because they took a fair amount of time and because they're kind of special to me...but they make great Christmas presents for the Mountain Goats fan who's already got all the early cassettes, and are rather more personal than a lot of my stuff tends to be. If you're in New York around the time of the exhibition, anyhow, have a look! (MG Source)

Boomkat had a few copies of that Xela lathe today - again, sorry, it looks like I'm a little too late posting about it - so it could have a few copies landing in US distros next week. The samples (here) sound excellent, and for once a lathe is nicely priced.

Students of Decay have a pre-order for the Jefre Cantu-Ledesma & Paul Clipson DVD re-release(s). From the three that I own (from Root Strata issues) I would say that they're excellent, but check the preview because they are not cheap.

Black Dog Publishing, the people that put out the excellent 'Rough Trade: Labels Unlimited', have a Krautrock book out next month that could be worth putting on the Christmas list.

Monday, 26 October 2009

This is one I've been wanting to post for a while. I have so much time for Virginia Genta and the rest of Jooklo (check the Jooklo tag for a couple of other OOP releases).

Brief introductions: Virginia Genta is one of the core Jooklo members and plays sax. Andrew Barker plays in Gold Sparkle Band and Acid Birds and has played alongside musicians such as John Zorn, Thurston Moore and Tara Jane O'Neil.

115 copies of this record were released over the summer as part of Troglosound's one-sided LP series.I don't really think a huge amount needs to be said about this other than it's a three-part free jazz session of tenor sax and drums. Free jazz is always one to divide opinion so make your own mind up.

Future release news from Camp Jooklo has been flying in lately: four records are due on Qbico next month; another is due on Troglosound; Luca Massolin has just released a new cassette on Digitalis Ltd (under the name Golden Cup); the record with Peaking Lights is due on Holiday Records soon; Release the Bats are meant to be releasing something by them in 2010.

The excellent Root Strata updated with news of distros of the Barn Owl LP (Aquarius, Mimaroglu, Eclipse, Time-Lag, Fusetron, Forced Exposure, Ctd Ltd, Mid Heaven, Boomkat and Volcanic Tongue) - thank you RS - and news that the Grouper / Xela split 7" is shipping and they have printed another 100 copies of the Oneohtrix Point Never DVD. Oh, and there are some nice looking t-shirts and posters.

-------------------Thanks to the people that have sent emails in the past week or so with music from their band or info, it's really appreciated, I'm just going a little slow with replying to mail at the moment but I will respond in the next couple of days. Some great music to appear on this blog thanks to some of these bands emails!And thanks to the 25 people that have joined the Last.fm group. I was surprised when 5 people had so 25 is fantastic. Already discovered half a dozen new groups. Feel free to add end of year lists, recommendations or whatever else you might want to the group.

Thursday, 22 October 2009

I've been wanting to post this since the day it arrived, it's definitely one of my favourites of 2009. So atmospheric and such beauty from a solo piano.

Dala Horse II: Richard Moult - Suite For Titouan. Dala Horse has already made a huge impression on me, following Kutomo's 'Lauluja Surun Kaaresta' by about 8 months and again limited to just 36 copies, DH#2 strikes you with its beauty for every sense - well, maybe not smell or taste but 3/5 is better than most.

Richard Moult is a member of United Bible Studies and was a founder member of Far Black Furlong (left the band last year). He has also made music with Agitated Radio Pilot and Current 93 and created pieces of art.

This EP is a solo piano suite consisting of five parts totalling just under 18 minutes. It was recorded in a church in East Sussex and that has really helped in adding great size and power to the recording.

I don't want to ruin it by over-hyping this so I'll end short, but I would highly recommend downloading it. Evening of Light have a second suite of Moult's also released this year.

Norman Records had copies of a Xela / Manahattan lathe released on Static Caravan yesterday but it looks to be sold out - may have gone to other distros or have been an old release?They also have copies of the new Rachel Grimes (of Rachel's) LP, 'Book of Leaves'.

Root Strata no longer seem to be selling releases directly. I don't think they've said anything in a mail out or on their website but if, like me, you were waiting for the Barn Owl record to be released and missed Boomkat updating with copies it looks as though we could have missed out? It sounds as though there will be a CD edition at some point but shout if you actually spot the LP anywhere (other than ebay).

Monday, 19 October 2009

This was a request from someone in the cbox. Great 2004 album from NSB, self-released, limited to less than 15 copies (according to discogs) and long out of print as I'm sure most have realised.

Natural Snow Buildings - The Winter Ray

This album consists of two full discs - a standard of NSB releases - that add up to roughly 160 minutes of audio. I really can't understand how they've it over the years with such frequency and with so few lapses in quality.That being said, the responses on rateyourmusic for this album are not among the most positive for the band. The record contains more of a post-rock vibe where you would find those long droning folk experiments on newer albums and the shorter psych-folk tracks have been excluded. So maybe people were disappointed to find out that they have since expanded on their sound?For me this is a gem. Something akin to the sounds Grace Cathedral Park generated on 'In the Evenings of Regret' but with plenty of signs of more experimentation to come.

I've had to split the two discs into three download links because of the 100mb limit but they're clearly labelled 1-1, 2-7, etc. with the first number being the disc, second the track, so it should be easy to sort out. MP3s at 256kbps. Artwork can be found on the discogs page linked above - can't hotlink their pictures.

There are also a couple of new Mississippi Records either just released or on the horizon, Joseph Spence, Michael Hurley and Mata La Pena. Heard there were some more compilations as well but haven't spotted those to know any details.

--------------------------And again, I'll "plug" the Disconcerted Sounds group on last.fm. I hadn't realised before it was mentioned but there is a DS radio station that is meant to be generated from what everyone in the group is listening to, that should be interesting. Cheers to the people that have joined the group, thanks for the kind comments as well.

Saturday, 17 October 2009

This was originally going to be a two part post but that Mountainhood CD got upped instead of the first two sides of this record and between then and now I've managed to rip and upload the other two sides.I would highly recommend downloading both zip folders, Side D is my personal favourite as it has more instrumentation; Side A has some of the better solo pieces - don't shy away from the whole album, it's an excellent set of traditional Japanese music.

I'm trying to take some photos of this, just can't find the charger for the camera at the moment...

Takahashi Chikuzan - No Shinzui

Takahashi Chikuzan was a blind shamisen player throughout the 20th century (born 1910, died 1998). He made quite a number of recordings and there was a 1977 film about his life called 'Chikuzan Hitori Tabi' ('Life of Chikuzan') but, like other traditional music, the albums are not always easy to find. Some were re-issued on CD in Japan and sometimes records appear on ebay or gemm for $5 (but more often $40+), most are relatively hard to get hold of as they are quite often badly listed (in my experience).

There's a lot to listen to on this record - four sides of roughly 20 mins each - and it covers a wide range for an instrument with just three strings. He is accompanied and introduced by other traditional Japanese instruments on a number of songs but the sides tend to stick to one style rather than have a wide range.

Please see the comments for more information on this recordLP 1 / LP 2

-------------------News:

Type Records, well, Johann Johannsson have both said that there will be a vinyl release (re-release) of Johann's 'And in the endless pause there came the sound of bees' in the next couple of months (followed later by another CD edition). There is also that Zelienople record looming on the horizon and we've just had Rameses III, Peter Broderick, Seasons (Pre-Din) and Black to Comm is out this week. All looks good over at Type!

Three Lobed Recordings are planning to close pre-orders for the new Steve Gunn and D. Charles Speer & The Helix.

Previews for the next batch of Digitalis Ltd releases are up on Dial Square Tapes (along with a pre-order option) featuring the likes of Xela, Greg Davis and Pink Priest.

There are some promising sounding shows on BBC4 at the moment - one last night titled 'Synth Britannia' and another next week about Krautrock - on Friday nights. Probably worth keeping an eye out for if you're in the UK (iPlayer?) or have access to good torrent sites.

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

I was going to do another two part post this week as I'm currently halfway through ripping another 70s Japanese record, and then this request came. Hopefully that record will now go up in one post (double LP) by the end of the week.

Oh, if you use last.fm feel more than welcome to join the Disconcerted Sounds group. Don't know what will go on there but it could no doubt be a good way of finding out about new music from what others are listening to/recommending.

Mountainhood - White Banquet: Live at the Story Chapter I

I've long had an appreciation for 'different' vocals and most take their time to get fully accepted - Tom Waits took half a dozen years; Screamin' Jay took around 10 full rounds of an album (which has since been lost and needs to be re-ordered); MV & EE even took a few months - this Mountainhood album has been another initial struggler.The problem comes when you realise he has a normal voice hidden away yet he, Michael Curtis Hilde, seems to want to be a bit stranger. Maybe it's how his voice naturally goes? I don't really know but it can make it hard at first to enjoy. By the time you reach 'Way I Feel' you won't really care. The songs start to come through and the vocals naturally come across as a lot more acceptable to your ears. And then the following 'Light Pouring Mynd' hits perfectly, probably my favourite song of the disc.It's an interesting one. Personally I found the two earlier releases on Reverb Worship easier to get into, especially 'Brother the Cloud'. This live album was also on Reverb Worship, released mid-February 2009 in an edition of 50.

As it is a live recording you receive any issues that may have occurred during the show, in this case they came in the form of bizarre squeaks from the guitar.

"A number of glitches can be heard throughout the songs. These glitches are not technology-related but they were produced organically in real-time at the live performance when the songs got intense and [the songwriter] passed into a mild trance, to fade out for a minute, then falling forward heavily, caught [his] guitar strings upon the mic." (insert)

He has recently released two records on Time-Lag's Red Records (both sold out direct) and has a one-sided record coming this month on Blackest Rainbow

-----------------------News:

Peasant Magik's box set has already sold over 150 of the 200 copies so if you want one I wouldn't wait around too much longer.

Blackest Rainbow has announced the pre-order for the CD re-issue of Twinsistermoon's 'The Hollow Mountain' which should be available at the start of November - in time for the London NSB show. Obviously I haven't seen the new packaging or heard the remaster but from what I have heard about it, even if you do own the vinyl edition you may want to seriously consider picking a copy up.

Matt Groening has been announced this week as once again being an All Tomorrow's Parties curator - this time in the UK.

Henry Owings, of Chunklet zine/magazine, has been given the duty by Corey Rusk of flogging 1500 records including test presses of rare Rapeman, Big Black, Henry Rollins, Butthole Surfers. Check his ebay account if you think you're rich enough (or just fancy a good nose around).

Ecstatic Peace! have released 'Barn Nova', the new MV & EE album. Can only see a CD edition on their website. There will be a vinyl edition, right?

Norman Records had the limited edition of David Sylvian's 'Manafon'. Sounds and looks amazing (from the pictures) but £70 is way beyond what most of us will be willing to spend I'm sure - although the edition is 2000+...

Friday, 9 October 2009

Part of the cassette box, 'Road Trips', Blackest Rainbow released a few months ago. If you haven't got a copy I would highly recommend it (still available at Tomentosa, Norman Records, Alt.Vinyl, etc. - all the usual places). It's an intimidating box when you unfold it and discover the mass of green and white, but there really is so much good music on it that once you begin you quickly work through the lot. And there are some great, new line-ups with the likes of Jeremy Earl, Samara Lubelski, J. Mascis, Willie Lane, Chris Corsano, and so the list goes on. This tape (#10 of the 12) is just MV & EE - I may do one of the bigger ensemble tapes in a few months but definitely not the whole set.

MV & EE - Smoked Bossier

Performed at Art Space, Shreveport, LA (29/01/09)This is one of the best live sets I've heard from MV & EE - don't want to hype it up too much but it is excellent. Side A has the kind of track list I would like to see them perform - Hungry Stones, Anyway, Freight Train and Cold Rain. Then Side B brings along a 25 minute monolith to the complete an hour long set. Long tracks rarely finish an album on a good note, but live, yeah... That is the way you want to send your audience away.

This was released at the very end of October last year on Antony Milton's PseudoArcana label in an edition of 80. The sleeve is lovely - pronounced with the 'o' elongated sounding more like 'arr' - but the format often produces the marmite 'love it or hate it' feelings. Lathes can be awkward, anyone that has ever bought one will probably agree. The sound quality is always a bit sketchy - although with more experimental music it doesn't matter so much - and the grooves shallow, I'm almost certain they are no good for your record needle as well but people are more than welcome to prove me wrong on that.So long as it plays the music it's fine by me (for the time being at least). This was a million times better value for money than that ridiculous 20 second recording of 'Au Clair De La Lune' Dust to Digital ripped off the BBC website and then sold for £7 a pop - if you bought that you are, in fact, an idiot (someone had to tell you).

Again, slight digression.

"2 short sides etched into a triangle of acetate that illustrate the potentially eternal depth of the subjectively experienced universe.This record is far less electr(on)ic than some of their pieces. Driven largely by plaintive bell like guitar and a sparse haunting ethereal wordless vocal it sounds like a prayer sung in a chamber deep within some dark crystalline moon." (Pseudoarcana)

Two songs, roughly seven minutes each. Both drone a bit but have more clattering to them than the Sloow Tapes release posted earlier. They're like condensed versions really.

Want (probably) the best compilation of the year? Check Peasant Magik for a pre-order and info (if you missed the details a month or two back). BIG BLOOD, NATURAL SNOW BUILDINGS, NORTH SEA, GREGG KOWALSKY (and more).

Et Pourtant has made their catalogue available for free download (try before you buy).

Sunday, 4 October 2009

I apologise if there is any digital distortion on this rip. There shouldn't be, but the couple of loud parts were looking close.Both sides in 320kbps mp3.

My Cat Is An Alien - Alien Minds

Keijo was Sloow Tapes #1, MCIAA was Sloow Tapes #2 - released July 2005 in an edition of 80 copies housed in spray painted envelopes with photos (remember them?) stuck to the front and back.

I have to be honest, I find MCIAA a little hit or miss. It probably depends more on my mood than what they've recorded but this one always tends to go down well - especially played at high volumes through headphones.

Both sides are live performances, the first from La Batie Festival in 2004 when they supported Sonic Youth and the second from a gig in Cambridge (UK) in 2005. They aren't hugely dissimilar in sound - mostly electric drones with interjections from percussion or toys and bits of "singing". Good for a proper listen or as something to phase in and out of.

This blog doesn't aim to hinder sales of records - without people willing to risk their own money on making and releasing music we would not have the entertainment in the first place - and so 99% of releases posted are out of print. If a release isn't and/or you would like the download removed then please either leave a comment or email disconcertedsounds [at] gmail (com) with the release in the subject line - comments are generally more efficient.